In the event of automotive-vehicle accidents, the safety or seat belt can become jammed so that the passenger cannot readily be released therefrom by the usual manipulation of the buckle. As a result, it may become necessary for the passenger to cut himself loose or for some other individual to cut the passenger loose from the safety or seat belt.
For the emergency severing of such a seat belt, it has been proposed to provide a cutting device which comprises a swingably mounted blade on a support member. This device, however, requires the use of both hands of the passenger and is frequently inconvenient to manipulate. In certain types of emergency, the passenger may not have two hands available to sever the seat belt.
A cutting device has been provided heretofore for the severing of synthetic-resin foils with particular convenience. This device comprises a handle and a head provided with a cutting blade and formed with a converging mouth or slot leading to the blade and into which the foil is fed by manipulation of the cutter to subdivide the foil.
This device, however, has not been found to be fully satisfactory in the cutting of seat belts and is not always reliable, easy to manipulate or safe.